Arizona, 1997

Tornado and Flash Flood in Arizona, August 23 to 24, 1997

August 23 to 24, 1997 · NWS TWC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

1 tornado, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The Tucson radar (KEMX), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:20 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Cochise

When
August 23, 2:20 PM MST to 2:22 PM MST
Where
Cochise County, 5 mi ESE of Ft Huachuca
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Coordinates
31.520, -110.270

Tornado captured on video tape touched down in open country for about 50 feet. No damage was observed.

Flash Flood, Graham

When
August 24, 6:30 PM MST
Where
Graham County, 10 mi S of Safford
Coordinates
32.933, -109.887 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flooding was reported across state highway 191.

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arizona in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Arizona, 1997Warnings in Arizona, August 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5613961, 5613962.